Lesson Transcript

Intro

Peter: Listeners, what's your reason for learning a language?
Chigusa: Is it a personal goal? A hobby?
Peter: In this Sunday News, you’ll discover….why I chose to learn Japanese.
Chigusa: ...why you can still succeed with language learning…
Peter: ...even if your reason isn’t as serious as “I’m living in a country that speaks it.”
Chigusa: ...and how you can get free PDF cheat sheets based on common reasons for learning.
Peter: For example, if you’re learning for family or for love…
Chigusa: ...you’ll learn the phrases for these topics with the cheat sheets.
Chigusa: Welcome to an episode of Innovative Language Sunday News! I'm Chigusa and I'll be hosting today's Sunday News with my co-host, Peter, the founder of InnovativeLanguage.com, Peter Galante.
Peter: Hi everyone! Peter, here!
Body
Chigusa: We’ll get into it all in just a second, but first listen up!
Peter: If you want to start speaking the language with our complete learning program...
Peter: Here’s your last chance! Get 31% OFF all Premium and Premium PLUS plans...
Chigusa: ...with the Pretty Big Deal Sale.
Peter: Join now and start speaking from your very first lesson.
Chigusa: You learn conversations with our bite-sized audio/video lessons...
Peter: Our teachers explain every word and grammar rule, and get you speaking.
Chigusa: We guide you from lesson 1, 2, to 3... until you reach your goals...
Peter: ...whether you're learning for travel, or if you’re aiming for fluency.
Chigusa: You can learn anywhere - even at home - and on any device - on your smartphone or computer.
Peter: You get powerful Study Tools to master words, grammar and conversations fast...
Chigusa: And with Premium PLUS, you can even get your own teacher.
Peter: So, get 31% OFF Premium or Premium PLUS.
Chigusa: That’s as low as $6.90/month or $0.23 a day.
Peter: But hurry because this sale ends Tuesday, May 26th, 2020...
Chigusa: Just click the link in the comments section to get 31% OFF right now.
Chigusa: So, Peter, you learned Japanese, and you’re at a pretty high level...
Peter: Yeah, well, I think You can say that. But, I like to push myself and I'm always learning other languages too...
Chigusa: Oh, which ones?
Peter: I’ve taken on Chinese, Italian, Korean, Spanish. But yes, Japanese is probably my best language.
Chigusa: I want to know your story. People have interesting stories for choosing to learn languages. Why did you choose Japanese?
Peter: To be honest, Chigusa, chance. Well, when I was in high school - in the early 90s - so fast the time goes - we had a Japanese exchange teacher stay with the family. And this was the first time I met a Japanese person and was exposed to the language. And that’s probably so radically different pre-internet but this was an initial spark for me.
Chigusa: And you became interested in the language?
Peter: Exactly. A personal connection was the reason I decided to take my studies to the next level. And when I got into college, and it came time to pick a foreign language class, which language do you think I chose, Chigusa?
Chigusa: Japanese!
Peter: Japanese.
Chigusa: But you could’ve picked from so many other languages. Why Japanese?
Peter: I am a glutton for punishment. I think personal connection matters. You know, when I sat down and looked through the list of languages, there were certain languages that I had more contact with but I had a deeper personal connection with the Japanese teacher that came to say with us so, one of my dreams had become to go visit her in Japan. SO, I think for me, it was the personal connection, this getting to know this person that really kept my motivation and kept my interest in furthering my studies. So, I took a class... and I wound up taking Japanese in college for about 2 years.
Chigusa: So, 2 years of classes. Wow, you put in a lot of time!
Peter: I did. And my professor noticed it and she said, “hey why don’t you go to Japan” and my reaction was... “OK! Let’s do that.”
Chigusa: Okay, your initial reason was... The exchange teacher.
Peter: Exactly. Personal connection, which is a very powerful one. There’s a matrix of, that I kind of created on motivation, and personal connection is very very high. Here we often see a lot of people studying because of their partner or family member - strong personal connection is a powerful motivational tool. So, that personal connection was the starting point and as I progressed along my language learning journey, I decided, yeah I’d like to travel and live in Japan for a bit.
Chigusa: So, that was another reason.
Peter: Exactly. But the starting point is this personal connection.
Chigusa: And if they had never come to stay with your family…
Peter: We don’t think we would be doing this recording today.
Chigusa: Wow, that’s a great story. And listeners, what about you?
Peter: Why did you choose the language you’re learning right now?
Chigusa: If you’re on the site, let us know. Leave a comment.
Peter: It’s quite interesting to see how motivation progresses too. Initially i started with a personal connection to learn Japanese, then I moved to Japan. That’s actually a very powerful motivator: living in the country.
Chigusa: You may be living in a country that speaks it, and you need it for daily life.
Peter: Also, another one is a personal goal. People who are always interested in bettering themselves, they’re studying just to improve themselves, they usually have quite a lot of success. That’s a powerful, powerful reason for studying: it’s just to improve yourself.
Chigusa: Exactly. But Peter, what if your reason is... you like watching shows in that language. And that’s not a serious reason like, “I need it for daily life.” Is that bad?
Peter: That’s a great question, Chigusa. If you’re living in a country that speaks the language, your motivation tends to be higher... because you need it for survival.
Chigusa: Is it important to have a “serious reason” for learning a language?
Peter: No. I think that there are many people I’ve met here in Tokyo that have never taken the time to learn the language. So, I think you can have any reason you want but... your success depends on you.
Chigusa: Really?
Peter: Chigusa, I’ve seen people with strong reasons, as i just mentioned, “living in the country,” never take the time or try and fail. I've seen people with simpler reasons succeed. In fact, when I taught English… I had one student who never left Japan but his English was phenomenal. Can you guess how he learned? Again. This was just when the internet was taking off.
Chigusa: He must’ve learned from you!
Peter: Not quite, I wish! He was really good already, but he learned from TV shows.
Chigusa: TV shows, wow!
Peter: So, living in a country that speaks the language HELPS…
Chigusa: But people can and do succeed even if they’re learning for less serious reasons.
Peter: Exactly. And you can succeed with a language...even if you’re learning at home.
Chigusa: So, listeners, leave a comment. Tell us why you’re learning.
Peter: And, we’re giving away conversation cheat sheets based on the most common reasons for learning…
Chigusa: Like love, family, travel… and much more. These teach you the must-know phrases for these topics.
Peter: Just leave a comment asking about the Cheat Sheets and we’ll respond with the link.
Chigusa: And remember…
Peter: If you want to start speaking the language with our complete learning program...
Peter: Here’s your last chance! Get 31% OFF all Premium and Premium PLUS plans...
Chigusa: ...with the Pretty Big Deal Sale.
Peter: Join now and start speaking from your very first lesson.
Chigusa: You learn conversations with our bite-sized audio/video lessons...
Peter: Our teachers explain every word and grammar rule, and get you speaking.
Chigusa: We guide you from lesson 1, 2, to 3... until you reach your goals...
Peter: ...whether you're learning for travel, or if you’re aiming for fluency.
Chigusa: You can learn anywhere - even at home - and on any device - on your smartphone or computer.
Peter: You get powerful Study Tools to master words, grammar and conversations fast...
Chigusa: And with Premium PLUS, you can even get your own teacher.
Peter: So, get 31% OFF Premium or Premium PLUS.
Chigusa: That’s as low as $6.90/month or $0.23 a day.
Peter: But hurry because this sale ends Tuesday, May 26th, 2020...
Chigusa: Just click the link in the comments section to get 31% OFF right now.

Outro

Chigusa: Okay, well that’s going to do it for this edition of InnovativeLanguage.com Sunday News!*
Chigusa: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you all next time.*

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